


Soy

by theradicaldame



Series: Soy [1]
Category: Marvel
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-24
Updated: 2014-04-18
Packaged: 2017-11-14 23:40:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/520724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theradicaldame/pseuds/theradicaldame
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thorki AU based off of some artwork I saw floating around tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fried Rice

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Thorki Noodles](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/11672) by http://ooahoo.tumblr.com. 



Loki stretched out on the long front counter, arching his back and pointing his toes as he flopped his arms back onto the cool granite.

“I’m hooooooooommmmmmeee,” he groaned, turning over on his side to prop up on one elbow and stare at Darcy, who was taking the slim barstools down from the tables.

“Ugh, get off the counter you ass,” she said, shooting him a glare. “Help me get these damn chirs set up.”

He smirked, tipping smoothly off the counter and landing softly on the dingy tile floors. “My god,” he said. “how long has it been since this has been mopped?” he scowled down at his grey-smudged finger. Darcy shrugged.

“Beats me, chickadee. You helpin’ or not?”

Together they worked in comfortable silence, Florence and the Machine playing low in the background from Darcys ipod dock. Loki turned the chairs smoothly in his hands, flipping them down without any of the bumps or muffled curses that Darcy was prone to. It wasnt that she was clumsy, really, just that he was a creature of unusual grace.

It was a goddamn shame, Darcy thought, that those long and slender fingers of him wanted nothing more than to be wrapped around some lucky bastards throbbing cock. If he’d ever get a goddamn boyfriend, at least- it was beyond frustrating to see all of that going to waste. She sighed as he flipped the last chair over, dusting his fingers off on his jeans as he stood back, surveying the place. He’d just gotten back from college, and was taking break in the same place he always did- the little loft above the chinese place they both worked at in the summertime. It was a little hole in the wall called Ed’s, something that never ceased to amuse the two of them. Ed, the man who owned it, had long since given up being anything but a sort of local legend- a giant blonde-bearded man who wore suspenders over hideous plaid shirts, he’d gotten it into his head one day that the alley behind the college needed a little spicing up. Ten strings of paper lanterns and a few small business-loans later, Ed’s had sprung up, attracting unexpected hoards of hungry teenagers. College was the heavy season, and the summers were often so slow you could find more entertainment watching paint dry- most of the staff left for home after that point, so Loki and Darcy happily left their campus jobs behind with the rest of school stress, and saddled up every summer behind the scorching heat-lamp counter of Ed’s. The pay was ridiculously good for the little amount of work involved, and Ed didn’t care what happened so long as the food was hot and the customers were happy.

Loki smiled, stroking the red pleather seat cushion fondly. He crossed the room in two strides and wrapped her up in a huge hug, smashing her face into his bony chest and gripping her hand with his bony arms. She struggled for a moment before freeing her head and biting him hard on the shoulder- but he only laughed, letting her go to run his hands through his long black hair, pushing it back behind his ears as he wrapped the dingy blue bandana he always wore around his forehead.

“Its good to be back.” he said, and Darcy couldn’t help but agree.

~~~

Sunday was a half-day, Monday had a hellish lunch, Tuesdays were sweaty and steady, Wednesday you could find more action in a graveyard, and Thursdays they spent lobbing paper airplanes at one another until the 6pm rush hit, then they spent the rest of the night scrubbing and storing for the early close. Friday and Saturday, however, were insane enough to test the mettle of any seasoned restaurant employee, and the campus-dwelling cook with six days left on his two weeks notice chose mid-rush on Friday night to slam down the wok and storm out, leaving a trail of obscenities in his wake. Darcy managed to find an apron that covered at least one boob, and spent the rest of her night cursing wildly as Loki shot her sympathetic looks from across the back counter. Finally, finally the main rush was over, and Loki was able to swipe the rice off enough tables for the place to be deemed decent before he swung open the kitchen door, bringing a rush of frigid lobby air in that washed over Darcy like a healing balm. 

“Guuuuhhhh,” she groaned, “You are the fucking worst” she hissed, cracking one eye wide enough to glare at Loki, who stood in front of her, laughing into his hands.

“SERIOUSLY,” she said. “You are the worst gay man ive ever met. You cant even make rice, for gods sakes. How do you function? What do you eat?” she undid the ties from the apron, scowling at the line of sweat left behind. Loki poked out his bottom lip, eyes shining with fake tears.

“If it werent for my best friend Darcy,” he whispered, “I would certainly starve- why, so noble a woman was ne’er seen by any man, oh if she only knew how her cooking sustains me!” he dropped to his knees dramatically, grabbing the backs of her knees and grinning up at her. She slapped his forehead with a spatula, getting little flecks of green peas all over his face. 

“Shut up, you bastard.” she said. “Bring me a gatorade, stat.”

“Yes milady” he said, all shit-eating grin as he swept into a low bow. But, bless him, he was off like a shot out the door and back in less than ten minutes, huffing and puffing as he handed her the drink. She drank half of it instantly, offering the rest to him. He took it gratefully, flicking at the end of her ponytail.

“Its past eight now, think we should call Ed and tell him Carlos blitzed?” she asked. He nodded, still guzzling the rest of her gatorade. he shot her a look- can I? and she flapped a hand at him as he finished it in a few long pulls.

“Yeah,” he said, still panting a bit. “theres no way in hell we can do this again.”

Ed hollered a little at nothing in particular and came by to affix signs to the door- ‘Closed until Sunday- Shoddy bastard cook ran out on us” right above the glittery purple ‘Now Hiring’.

Well, at least he was honest. Darcy shouldered her bag and waved at Loki, who was jangling his key in the lock of the skinny blue door that led to his upstairs room.

~~~~

Loki liked his room. It was large and rectangular, with old wood floors and solid brick walls on two sides. It had a window-seat for reading the books that lay piled around every corner, and a big round window that let in all the sunlight he could ever want. His bathroom was cramped, yeah, and his kitchen was nothing to be proud of- but it didnt bother him overmuch because he couldnt cook to save his life. His bed was a huge and poofy thing, a round mattress buried under piles and piles of quilts, blankets, pillows, books, and who knew what else. There was a little balcony that hung over the alleyway, giving him a nice view of the street. he liked nothing better than to sit idly on the edge, legs hanging between the bars as he watched the daily comings and goings of the people.

In the summer, there was really no sense in being open all the time, so Sunday-Monday and Thursday they didnt open up until 6, which gave Loki plenty of spare daytime to do things like read or bug Darcy for food or lounge around in his underwear watching re-runs of old cartoons. Since Carlos had run out on Friday, he’d spent Saturday haunting Darcy as she went summer shopping, thumbing idly through the clearance racks of cardigans and wishing, as he often did, that he had something more to do in the summer than this. He loved Darcy to death, and he hadnt been kidding about the food thing- if she didnt feed him, hed be fighting the pigeons downstairs for breadcrumbs- but sometimes he just wanted someone to sit alone with, make some tea for (he could do that, at least), and Darcy, for all her virtues, was not a lover of the quiet days that Loki so loved.

Sunday came, and he was out on the balcony enjoying a nice breeze and idly watching the pink-haired girls that came every week feed the fat pigeons that shit all over the park benches nearby. He didn’t know their names, only their hair and the way they always seemed to be having a great time. The taller one who brought the bread was always coaxing the birds up into her lap, rubbing their scrawny necks and stroking their fat backs until they hopped up on her shoulders to croon in her ears. The shorter girl was still a little leery, jerking back when the birds pecked to close, but she was by far his favourite- she talked with huge hand motions that sent the pigeons into a tizzy, and always wore bright fuchsia lipstick that never failed to elicit a response from passerby. Today they were mostly quiet, the tall girl bringing pigeon after pigeon into her lap until she could barely be seen beneath them, the shorter one tapping away at her cell phone until she looked up sharply, elbowing the girl beside her so hard the pigeons erupted around them. He laughed.

The tall girl was rubbing breadcrumbs off her lap and scowling sideways until the shorter jabbed her again, pointing frantically somewhere to the right. Interested, Loki craned his neck forward to try and peer around the corner-

A man walked across the street, waving to the girls and smiling. He was broad-chested, with long blonde hair tied up in a messy bun and arms that looked like he’d spent the first twenty years of his life slinging haybales around. Loki snatched his phone up from the ground, texting Darcy furiously.

From: Loki 

Darcy theres a guy here

From: Darcy

we arent open yet send the fool home

From: Loki

I can’t, he’s just standing there with the ‘Now Hiring’ sign in his hands. Should I go down?

From: Darcy

is he hot?

From: Loki

Nevermind, Ed just pulled up. Brb

From: Darcy

IS HE HOTT??

Loki pulled his legs carefully from between the bars and crossed his room quickly, slicking his hair back with his fingers as Ed thumped loudly on his door.

“Coming!” he called, taking the stairs two at a time and emerging with what he hoped was a sense of cool, collected calm. Ed clapped him on the shoulder, pulling him in so close Loki nearly got an eyefull of beard.

“Loki!” he cried. “I’d like to you meet my fine nephew, Thor!” 

It was the man from down below- upon closer inspection, he too had a blonde beard, but it was more of a scruff, less like the lumberjacks wet-dream that was currently giving Lokis left ear a rash. His eyes were a dark-sky blue, crinkling up at the corners when he smiled, which he did often. Ed went on for several moments about the job in general, only letting go of Loki so he could gesticulate wildly. Thor caught his eye in the middle of Ed telling the history of the store and tipped him a wink that set Lokis face on fire. He bit his tongue, hard, and turned away from him to tug lightly at Eds shirt.

“Ed, this is nice and all, but is he coming to work here? Or-” Ed cut him off with another shoulder-jarring clap.

“Of course! I forgot to say! Thor here is the best damn cook ive ever seen, puts those Iron-chefs to shame, in my opinion. He’ll be summering here with me and working the kitchens until the school year starts up again!” Ed grinned at them both and stood there, hands on hips, until Loki extended one slim hand out to grasp Thors. They shook hands slowly and Ed nodded gravely, calling out as he left the store- “Call Darcy, we’re open tonight!” and with that, he strode off down the street. Loki looked at Thor, who was smiling at him again, and shuffled nervously.

“Id better call Darcy. Shes, eh, shes a friend of mine, works the counter and front with me.” Thor cocked his head with interest and seemed about to say something, but Loki turned his back and bounded up the stairs before he could. He tapped out a short message to Darcy, waiting a heroic two seconds before snatching up his silent phone and calling her.

“Jesus christ, is the place on fire or something?” she said.

“Darcy. That guy is Eds nephew, and hes our cook now. Ed says we need to be open in an hour and he CLAIMS this kid can cook, but could you pretty please show up now?” he was begging a little- there was no way he was going to be able to be downstairs with that guy without doing something regrettable like insulting his cooking abilities or ogling his ass and getting caught. Darcy laughed and said yes, she’d be there in five, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he clicked off, fiddling with the end of his gray t-shirt while he paced. From below he could hear the tell-tale sounds of pans being slung around, but he didnt have the courage to go down until Darcy texted him again.

From: Darcy

damn, he is fiiiineeee

From: Darcy

check dat ass

From: Darcy

i bet you have already tho

From: Loki

Shut up, I’ll be down in five.

From: Darcy

knew it lol

He tilted his head back and groaned.


	2. Chow Mein

The first few days went well, despite Ed having somewhat exaggerated Thors cooking abilities. In fact he’d never actually cooked Chinese food, but under Darcys expert guidance he caught on fairly quickly. So far though, they hadn’t had a real rush and it was Thursday, so at any moment they were going to get hit, and hard. Thor was puttering around in the back somewhere, doing dishes maybe, and Loki was crammed in the back corner booth, staring contemplatively at Darcys cleavage.

“Well? “ she said, adjusting them a bit further. “Think they’l l get his attention?” Loki cocked his head to the side, stroking and imaginary goatee and narrowing his eyes to a squint.

“Well, they aren’t doing anything for me, but if hes into someone looking like they might be suffocated by their own chest at any moment like most men, then I think you’re in the clear.” he laughed as she shoved him out of the booth.

“Hey Thor!” she called. “Why don’t you stop hermiting it up and come up front with us?” she walked up to the front counter and leaned, shoving her breasts as far forward as possible and tipping Loki a wink as Thor poked his head out from the kitchen door.

Loki bit his lip to stifle his laughter as Thors face bloomed pink as he caught an eyeful of Darcys ample charms. It took all of his willpower not to openly snigger at the predatory gleam in Darcys eyes as she raked them over Thors figure- and okay, maybe his eyes were doing a little wandering of their own, but who was it going to hurt, really? Thor was obviously going to take interest in Darcy and she would share with him every disturbing and graphic detail of both his personality and anatomy, so really a little ogling was tame in comparison.

“I didn’t think I was allowed.” said Thor, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the corner of his apron. He sucked in a massive breath and let out a sigh of relief as he leaned against the counter, tipping his head back so that the ceiling fans ruffled the wispy blonde hairs escaping his bun. “I thought I was going to be stuck in there until I melted to death.”

“Of course not!” Darcy exclaimed, sidling over so that their elbows touched. “If we left you in there to swelter to death youd run out on us like the last guy.” Thor laughed, a deep rumble in his chest that made Lokis stomach flutter.

“I don’t think my uncle would let me make the doorstep, honestly” he replied, chuckling. “And I couldn’t leave you guys alone to handle all this business.” He swept his arms out to indicate the empty restaurant, grinning. Darcy narrowed her eyes and hopped down from the barstool shed perched on, peering out the window and groaning. Loki knew that groan.

“Gaah, not again” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Thor shot him a questioning glance, and he rolled his eyes. “It’s the lacross jocks, or, as I call them, the obnox-a –thon.” He frowned. “Better start getting ready, and drop and extra thing of the miso, these guys bathe in it or something.” Darcy skittered back, grabbing Loki by the arm and pulling him away before Thor could reply. He did, however, have time to see him send him a little wave as he disappeared into the kitchen. His stomach did a few lurchy somersaults as Darcy pulled him down to hiss in his ear.

“I am NOT taking this table, Loki.” she said.

“Why not?” he replied, smirking. “Afraid you might get a taste of your own medicine?” she swatted him on the arm and frowned.

“Shut your face and take that table, or so help me I will do-something. Ill do something horrible, like put glue in your hair gel or something.” She poked him hard in the chest. “Pleeaaase?”she wheedled.

He sighed- Attila the Hun would be hard-pressed to resist those puppy eyes- he was doomed. He made a great show of straightening his shirt and sweeping his hair back, adjusting his bandana and frowning masterfully at the ceiling fans as the door dinged open and the obnox-a-thon swaggered in. It wasn’t that they were total assholes, they were just loud, needy, and boorish- Tony had an ego the size of Manhattan and while Steve was definitely nicer, he was also the kind of guy who drained a drink by the time you had set it down on the table. It didn’t help that they were prone to whistling to get your attention, something that made Darcy shoot steam out of her ears; oh well, at least they were good tippers, even if they did make them change the radio to some obnoxiously loud metal music. 

He took their order swiftly, pinning it up to the line while Darcy rained thanks upon him. He thought briefly abut maybe making some tea, but more people were starting to stream in and the phone was jangling somewhere, so he abandoned the thought and settled in for a long night.

Sometime around nine, he heard the distinct hollow clang of a wok hitting the ground, followed by a string of curses. He shot Darcy a look and she bit her lip, shaking her head. He rolled his eyes and pushed the swinging door back into the kitchen, where Thor was standing, blood streaming down from his forehead as he ranted at the large ‘decorative’ wok that usually hung from the ceiling.

“Why is that even there!” he shouted, at the same time that Loki said “Oh my god!” they both looked at each other for a moment, then laughed together. Loki grabbed a few towels and strode across the room, dampening them in the wash sink before he pressed them gently to Thors forehead.

“Head wounds bleed a lot, you should be okay.” he sponged him off a few times, but there was no sign of the blood stopping, so he told him to apply pressure and hustled off to the office to grab the first-aid kit. Frowning, he pulled the sodden paper towels away. ‘I don’t think youll need stitches, this should do, but im warning you- the only band-aids we have are Spongebob. Darcy picked them out.” Thor chuckled and Loki tried not to get distracted by the sound, or the feeling of Thors body shaking under his hands.

He pulled him over to the rickety office chair and sat him down, wiping away the excess blood and swiping some Neosporin on before dumping out half the tin of bandaids in Thors lap. “Who do you want?” Thor stared at them for a moment before picking out Spongebobs pet snail from the pile. He held it up, grinning.

“Ill take this one, doctor Loki” he said. Loki tried and failed not to blush, and hid his face by tilting Thors head down as he applied the band-aid. Belatedly, he realized he should’ve called Darcy in- Thor could be getting a face-full of something a hell of a lot softer than Lokis bony sternum right now, that’s for sure. He studiously ignored the heat radiating from Thor as he smoothed back a strand of his hair reflexively, yanking his hand back as soon as he realized what he’d done. “Sorry,” he mumbled, staring at the floor. “Im used to patching Darcy up.” Thor looked at him sideways as he got up.

Clearing his throat, he asked- “So are you two…” he trailed off, flapping his hands in the general direction of the lobby. “together?” For a second Lokis stomach did a full-force flip, but he mentally smacked himself for even letting his hopes get up this far- Darcy, Darcy, hes interested in Darcy not you, he scolded. Outwardly he sputtered a bit before laughing, a little overloud.

“Nooooo, no. We’re not-she- I’m not eh, we’re not, dating” he managed.

Thor coughed. “That uh, that’s good! I mean, not good, but nice, that, uhm, nice.” He stared at Loki and they stood there for a moment as the silence grew painfully awkward, but thankfully, just as Loki was thinking of trying to say something that didn’t make him sound like a total cro-magnon, Darcy came busting in through the door. Loki leapt back from Thor, face flushing as he nervously wiped the excess Neosporin from his fingers. Luckily Darcy was too focused on Thor to see his face.

“Ugh!” she cried. “Is that blood?!” Loki nodded, grateful for the subject change.

“Yep.” He said. “The guillotine finally fell.” Darcy looked over at the fallen wok and laughed.

“Its about time,” she said. “That sucks that it fell on you though, and right after such an awful night!”Loki was smart enough to step out of her way as she slid up next to Thor, smiling sweetly up at him. He crossed the room and picked up the fallen wok, setting it gingerly into the dish sink and trying not to feel too disappointed as Darcy reeled Thor in. He walked out into the cool lobby, waving goodbye to the last departing customers and propping himself up on a barstool to wait. Less than a minute later Darcy emerged, fist-pumping and bounding over to grab him in a huge hug.

“Yesssss!” she said. “I knew the girls wouldn’t let me down.” For a moment he considered going into a full-on pout, but Darcy was so happy he couldn’t bring himself to do anything but flash her a thumbs-up as she twirled around in little circles, cackling gleefully. Together they wiped down the tables, pulled the chairs up and tag-teamed the floors; Darcy swept and he mopped, always a stickler for a clean floor, and they were just sitting down to have their nightly fortune cookie when Thor came from out the kitchen door, untying his apron and slinging it over his shoulder as he walked towards them. He smiled at Loki and held his arm out for Darcy, who wasted no time in draping herself over it. He wished them both a good night and locked the door as they left, flicking the little switch to turn the lanterns off before he made his way up the stairs to his room.

He got upstairs, locked up and showered to get rid of the smell of duck sauce before pulling on his pajamas- ridiculous black silk bottoms that he’d dubbed his “Hugh Hefner Pjs”. Darcy had bought them for Christmas, proclaiming that he needed something fancy should he ever decide to get laid again. He propped open the little circle window and slumped face-first into the massive nest of his bed. Briefly he considered reading a little, but he was already so comfortable he just barely made the effort to roll onto his side so he wouldn’t suffocate before falling into a deep and dreamless sleep.

He was jerked awake by the loud jangling of his phone- he slapped randomly at the buttons before he realized it wasnt his alarm, it was Darcy calling, and it wasn’t even light out yet. Squinting at the bright light of the screen in his dark room, he groaned aloud as he read the clock-3:30 am. If it were anyone but Darcy he’d shut the damn thing off, but it was his best friend and who knows, she might be in trouble.

“H’lo?” he answered sleepily.

Nothing. Silently he cursed her damnable touch-screen and hung up- leave it to Darcy to butt-dial him at 3 in the morning. Curling back up under the covers, he dozed off until his phone went off again, this time ten minutes after he’d hit the snooze on his alarm. Darcy.

“Whyd you hang up on me last night?” she demanded. “I was in need of serious council!”

“Because you didn’t say anything when I answered, so I figured you butt-dialed me.” he huffed. “Why are you calling me so early anyhow?”

“Its Thor.” he perked up. Second-hand debauchery was at least better than no debauchery at all, and Darcy gave excellent descriptions. 

“Weeelllllll?” he said. “Whats he like?”

“I DON’T KNOW!” she shouted. “He didn’t even GO for the sweater puppies. He barely even looked, and let me tell you Loki there was not many other places TO look.” She sighed. “I think he might be one of those ‘nice guys’ I keep hearing about.” She sounded dejected.

“Well heaven forbid a man want to DATE you, after all.” He said, chuckling. “Why don’t you give it a try? He’s certainly good-looking enough.”

“Because, Loki” she sighed. “I am a strong independent woman who don’t need no man, except every now and again in my bed. Plus, Id never date a co-worker. No offense.”

“None taken. So what are you going to do about it?” he said.

“Well, I was thiiiiiinking about maybe just taking the direct approach- you know, showing up to his house in my underwear- but he’s living with Ed and theres just no way im taking that risk.” Loki nearly choked laughing at the mental image.

“Yeah, probably not the greatest plan,” he said. “Why don’t you just try taking him on another date? Invite him over to your place later this week or something. Maybe he just needs a little encouragement.” Darcy sighed over the phone.

“Ugh, men are so much work, Loki. Why do we even like them?”

He smiled. “Well they’ve all got great butts, so theres that.” And Darcy laughed. He switched the subject, asking her about her mom and stepdad so she’d go on an uninterrupted rant while he got dressed, the only things required from him being the occasional ‘ugh’ or ‘oh my god’. He hung up after about ten minutes of her ranting and then apologizing for ranting, and hopped down the stairs to go grab some lunch before his shift started. 

To his surprise, Thor was already downstairs, organizing the sauces in their little bins by the tea machines. He waved at him as he left, but Thor didn’t wave back- he fumbled a bunch of duck sauce and ducked his head beneath the counter, grabbing them up. Oh well, some guys got like that- they seemed to think he was going to take some big-brother approach to them being around Darcy. He would if she asked, but he had no urge to butt heads with a bunch of muscled jocks over her private life- even if it wasn’t exactly private. He went two blocks over and grabbed some sandwiches from the local shop-his, and Darcys favourite godawful banana-pepper ham concoction that oozed fluorescent yellow juice all over his hands as he made his way back to the store. She walked in a few minutes later, chatted with Thor for a moment and thanked him for his sandwich, eyes fixed on Thors retreating back.

“Soon.” she muttered.

The night passed without any real incident- Darcy dropped an order and got rice all in her shoes, but it served her right for wearing flats to work in. It was a long and busy night and at the end of it they were all quiet, glad of a chance to clean in peace. Thor left early after talking to Darcy, and Darcy followed him out after telling Loki that they were on for a few dates later this week; Loki smiled tiredly and trudged up the stairs, feeling lonelier than he had in quite awhile as his old friend left on the arm of the new. True, they hadn’t talked all that much beyond co-worker banter, but Thor was always friendly and made a genuine effort to be kind to Loki- a trait that stuck out like a sore thumb in the records of men Loki had attempted to befriend. He showered and slumped into bed, but the moon was obnoxiously bright so he ended up curling up next to one of his bookshelves, reading with blankets pooled around his feet.

He woke up Saturday morning to his jangling alarm with his face stuck to the bindings of a natural history book he’d been skimming the night before. Darcy didn’t call, and after an hour or so of wallowing around in his blanket-nest, he decided to take a long, hot bath. 

Saturdays were crazier than Fridays, and it was nice to be as relaxed as possible beforehand. He made tea in the little green kettle Darcy had bought him for his birthday and ran his bathwater, lighting a few candles and settling in with his favourite bubblebath; after soaking for awhile, he started to drift off in the cramped and steamy room, but woke up as soon as the water started to cool. Slowly he dried himself and wrapped up in a towel, flipping open his laptop and wasting a few hours mindlessly browsing etsy for jewelry- Darcys birthday was in December, true, but it never hurt to get things early and besides, Loki liked looking at all the different things people made by hand. He’d always been skilled with his hands, excelling at the arts and even taking up macramé until one of the soccer jocks had sliced his head open smacking him with a book before tumbling him off the edge of the bleachers in high school. He didn’t miss his home town at all. 

Soon enough though it was time for work, and he went downstairs to start setting up the lobby. Darcy came in a few minutes late and apologized, but didn’t say much; the rest of the evening passed the same way, but Loki was tired and it was the usual hellish Saturday so he barely noticed until he had flicked off all his lights that Darcy hadn’t said hardly a word the entire night.


	3. Crab Rangoon

Sunday afternoon he shot Darcy a text asking if she wanted to come over and watch movies (which actually meant ‘im out of food, please help’). She never replied. That night, Loki sat in the corner and tried to ignore the lump in his throat as Darcy and Thor stood across from each other on the counter, leaning in so close their foreheads were touching. Thor came over every now and again, trying to strike up small talk with him, but Loki ignored him. He cleaned the lobby completely before Darcy even came out of the kitchen, taking satisfaction in the scrubbing of each tile individually. When Thor and Darcy left that night, he didnt even bother to look at them as he locked the door. 

Monday was miserable. He went grocery shopping and ended up spending his afternoon off holed up inside, eating cucumbers and salad dressing while he moped in bed. Thor was still being almost obnoxiously friendly, and Darcy was quiet again, but this time as he shut the door behind them she broke away from Thor and darted back, calling “Loki-!” 

He slammed the door in her face, thinking venomous thoughts. He spent that night crying angrily into his pillow, wondering how Darcy of all people had turned into one of those snub-nosed bitches that abandoned everyone for their boyfriends. And Thor- what the fuck was up with him? He took his best (only) real friend and now he wanted to be all buddy-buddy? Idly he caught himself wishing Thor had never shown up at all. His sleep that night was fitful, and several times he woke up in the floor and had to crawl back into the safety and warmth of his bed. At six am his phone started going off, and didnt stop until he hurled it against the wall so hard the back fell off and the little battery went skittering across the floor. After that, twenty more minutes passed before a loud banging started up. He thought about ignoring her, but he knew hed have to go down eventually and he may as well get it over with now. He didnt even bother putting a shirt on, knowing how his thinness always bothered her, and descended the narrow stairway beofre flinging the door open. Darcy lunged forward, dropping a box of what looked like Lokis favourite cream-cheese-cherry pastries to the floor as she flung her arms around his neck. He could feel her tears on his skin, but he didnt hug her back.

“Loki!” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry!”

He held back for a moment before he felt himself cave, and he stroked her back softly. Privately he hated himself for caving so easily but after all, itd only been four days and she was his best and only friend- he couldnt really afford to turn her away when she was hurting.

“Did he dump you?” he asked. She raised her head up.

“NO! God, no, Loki, you ass, you know how I am and I dont know HOW you didnt see if you KNOW me you know I cant hide anything from you so i had to hide EVERYTHING from you but Thor didnt want me to tell you because hes so nervous and his parents and Ed and hes so confused but I knew if I said anything to you id say everything and he just wanted a week but I cant do it! I cant not talk to you!” she was shaking him a little by the end of her rant, breathing hard and stepping on his right foot. It hurt.

“Darcy, you’re on my foot.” he said.

“IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY?!” she shrieked.

“No! Its not!” he yelled back. “I have no idea what you’re talking aboiut and you didnt talk to me for FOUR DAYS and you left me up here and i had to eat- eat cucumbers, you know i cant cook for shit and you shut me out and Thors being all stupid and friendly and i felt- i felt like-” his chest was heaving, and he was horrified to find that he was hyperventilating with tears. Darcy sobbed a little more and flung her arms around him.

“Loki, you know I’d never leave you.” she said. His chest hitched some more but he sat his jaw on her shoulder, burying his face in her soft, curly hair. ”Cucumbers, huh?” she said. ” Lets go fix that.” 

He laughed weakly, squeezing her hand in his as they went up the stairs together.

They stood in the kitchen, Loki having been instructed to peel and dice several vegetables while Darcy arranged a multitude of other spices and things- she was making Minestrone soup, his favourite, and that alone made him smile.

“So what were you talking about down there?” he asked. “About Thor and all that.” She shot him a look, gnawing on her lip for a moment before she spoke.

“Okay so im not supposed to spill all the beans, so im just going to spill some and you guys can talk later, okay? Later TONIGHT, Loki, promise me.”

He grunted.

“PROMISE me. Pinky swear.” grudgingly he held out his pinkie and twined it with hers. She smiled.

“Okay, so Thors not actually just visiting and hes actually a SUPER NICE dude and he’s got a lot of crap going on but what it BASICALLY comes down to is hes having some issues and stuff like you did in middle school but he doesnt know what to do and all he really knows for sure is that he likes you, he likes you likes you, and he doesnt have any idea of what to do and Im trying to tell him to just GO FOR IT but hes just so, ugh, not awkward but awkward, you know? And you HAVE to see him tonight Loki, you just HAVE to because he’s just super great and i dunno, I feel like, you guys need each other. I mean i know you need me too but I know how youve been feeling- dont look at me like that- I know how lonely youve been and hes just so lost, you have to have dinner with him tonight and if you dont I might just shave your head.” She panted a little, catching her breath after the long rant.

Loki stuttered for a moment, then said nothing. Darcy went back to her veggie-arranging as he stared off into space. It felt like his ribcage was breaking apart- like some small sun was currently having a supernova between his lungs, filling him with heat and light and yes, just a little pain around the edges but it was good pain, like sore muscles after a long yoga session or the feeling you got when you woke up the next day after volunteering to help build shelters for the homeless. It felt like he was expanding and being crushed all at once, the weight of feeling bursting out of him but trapped under his skin, roiling and turning until he felt ready to supernova himself.

“Thor likes me?” he asked softly.

Darcy slammed some veggies into the pot. “YES, you dope, he likes you, he wants to kiss your face and grab that luscious ass of yours and probably do all sorts of secret gayboy things to it- well, he didnt actually say any of that except the liking part, but, you get it.” she grinned. “Youre fucking tomato-ing over there, you know it?”

Sputtering, he crossed the tiny kitchen and kissed Darcy on the cheek before hugging her so hard he lifted her off the floor; she squealed in mock-protest as he wiggled her back and forth around the room before dropping her unceremoniously on the bed. He flopped down beside her, staring up at the ceiling with a huge grin on his face. She looked over at him and scoffed, slapping his chest lightly.

“Put on a shirt, naked boy.” she said. “You look like a fuckin’ goofball over there.” He blew her a kiss. Only Darcy would spend half a week in deep council with a troubled hot guy just to try and help him work out his life- briefly he wondered what he’d ever done to deserve someone as amazing as her to have as his best friend, but shrugged it off and immersed himself back into the glow that seemed to be all that was left of his insides.

Compared to that, the rest of the morning was uneventful- Darcy finished his soup and put it away in the fridge, scolding him for letting his cucumbers sit out without being wrapped- ‘They get moldy you know’- and snuggling next to him on the window-seat until it came time to open the store. they went down together and Thor was there, standing by the front door and waving, smiling at the two of them. Darcy jogged over to answer the door and whispered in his ear for a moment, and Loki felt a thrill at knowing the blush that spread over Thors cheeks was there because of him, that somehow he, Loki, had captured the attention of a guy like that.

It was slow, as tuesadays always were, and Darcy made up some crap excuse about having to feed her cats- she didnt even have cats, she was allergic- and slipped out a few minutes early. Loki swallowed hard, and went to the back where Thor was doing dishes. 

“Thor?” he whispered. He cursed himself inwardly for being such a wuss. “Thor?” There. That was audible, at least. Thor turned around and smiled, turning off the tap and wiping his hands off on his apron.

“So, I guess Darcy told you everything, right?” he said. Loki did his best to look chagrined.

“Not everything, really. Just that you were dealing with some…stuff, and I might be able to help you out, or something.” Eloquent, Loki. That english major is really showing tonight!

Thor looked down at his feet, shuffling a little. “I dont want to bother you, though. I mean, I tried to talk to you this week a bit, and-” Loki cut him off.

“I’m sorry about that, I really am. Darcy…shes sort of all I have, you know? And I thought, you guys were spending so much time together, that you were taking her from me….” he trailed off. Thor looked up at him, eyes wide.

“No! Its not like that at all- well, I guess you know that now.” together they stood under the fluorescent kitchen lights before a grumbling sound broke the tension. Loki laughed, and Thor blushed a little. ”Sorry,” he said. “Fast metabolism.” Loki could feel himself warming up to Thor, and he jerked his head back over his shoulder in the direction of the lobby.

“Darcy made me some soup earlier today- I cant cook at all, shes a lifesaver- but anyways, she always makes too much, would you like to…?” Thor smiled, and Loki at last allowed the butterflies in his stomach to go ballistic. 

~~~

Thor and Loki sat next to each other at the counter, scarfing Darcys soup like they’d each never had a full meal before in their lives. Loki had one and a half bowls and managed to convince Thor that no, thirds were not being rude, he had enough stew to take a bath in upstairs. After that, they moved away to sit by the bench-booth on the far wall, snagging fortune cookies and talking about nothing until Lokis fingers brushed Thors hand while he was explaining the last time he’d tried to cook. He heard Thors breath hitch, and his fingers felt like the tips had caught fire where they touched his skin. He turned to face him, cocking his head a bit to the left. “So…” he began. “Stuff?”

Thor cleared his throat. “Its…kind of long, do you have to be in bed or anything?” Loki shook his head. Thor shifted around a little, tucking one leg up under him and leaning against the wall, staring thoughtfully at the space just above Lokis head.

“I’m not actually visiting my uncle.” he began.

“My parents…. arent really- well, they were great parents for the most part, you know, normal level of crappy- but they’re not exactly accepting.

I always tried to like girls- really, I did, even had sex a few times, but it never felt right. I didnt want to be a ‘faggot’, though, so I just gritted my teeth and focused on sports and school and stuff. Anyways, long story short i decided enough was enough, I want going to hide anything from my parents, and what was the worst thing that could happen? They had to keep loving me, right?” his voice cracked a little, and Loki reached forward reflexively to squeeze his hand. Thors eyes flicked to his for a moment and loki smiled, threading his fingers through Thors and grasping him firmly. Thor sat still as a statue for a moment and then slowly squeezed back, blushing hard and coughing a little before he began again.

“Anyways, I guess I was wrong. My dad went ballistic, threatened to shoot me on the spot- my mom started screaming and crying, trying to hold him back as he swung at me. I dunno, I just, I just lost it, started crying and yelling at my mom, she kept asking ‘Sweetheart why? Why are you doing this?” he scoffed out loud. “Like I’d just woken up that morning and decided ‘hey! ill be gay now!’ like putting on a pair of pants, or switching shirts. After my dad stormed into the kitchen after his booze, my mom sat down next to me- I was still crying- and held the bible out towards me. I slapped it out of her hands and stormed out, called uncle Ed, and took the bus four hours this way, and asked if I could cook for him.

Uncle Ed doesnt care- the only thing he cares about is that I go to school- said he wont let my parents keep me from becoming someone useful. Didnt bat an eye when I told him why i left, just said ‘My brother never was blessed with an overabundance of good sense’.” Loki was leaning foward, his fingers white from where Thor was gripping them. He rubbed his thumb over the back of Thors hand until his grip loosened, and Thro smiled at him weakly before going on.

“Well once I got here id sort of made up my mind to try and- I dunno, hide it, somehow. Or at least ignore it. But then I walked in the door and saw you, standing over the back counter with your hair hanging out of that blue bandanna as you wiped the counters, and you looked up at me and smiled and your eyes were so green in the sunlight-” he blushed. ” I was pretty much done for. But then Darcy popped up and she was so bubbly and, well-booby, and i remembered how id told myself i was going to try and get over this thing so I went on a date with her and it ended up being me just talking about you half the night.

The other dates were mostly me just talking to her. I felt so bad when I saw you sitting alone on Sunday and Monday- I tried to talk to you, but, well.” he heaved a huge sigh. Loki was swallowing rapidly, trying not to burst into tears as his story. He managed to un-stick his throat after a few minutes, and cleared it again for good measure.

“So, uhm… Darcy said- well, you said, a moment ago, and i dont want to be- I dont want to seem pushy but-” Thor leaned forward, crowding in Lokis personal space and god he could smell him, smell the heat of the ovens and the scent of his shampoo and something under that, something woodsy and musky that was all Thor.

“Yes, Loki.” he rumbled. “I like you.”

Loki sucked in a breath. “Well then.” he said. “Well. Then.” He hadnt moved back and Thor hadnt moved forward- they sat together and Loki could feel every point of their bodies touching- Thors hand hot and heavy over his own, his knee grazing Thors thigh and their breath mingling between them. Loki wasnt a virgin, not by a long shot- he knew how things went and Thor surprised him by not just smashing on into him- most bigger men seemed to think that slender=submissive, which was just not the case. And sense everything today was being so surprising, Loki decided to do a little bit of surprising himself. He leaned in slowly, carefully, brushing his lips as lightly as possible over Thors before he murmured- “This okay?” 

Thor nodded his head enthusiastically, blushing redder than the apron he still wore. Loki leaned in the rest of the way, pressing his lips against Thors softy, tracing the outline of them with his tongue and smiling as he pulled away. Thor hadnt moved and inch, but in his eyes a hunger burned like Loki had never seen, only felt within himself- and he leaned in again and this time he felt Thors hand slip out of his own and touch the side of his face tenderly before resting on the back of his neck. Loki deepened the kiss, tugging at Thor until they were half-slouched against the wall, Thors weight covering him as their tongues danced. Thor was hesitant at first, but Loki grabbed his free hand and slid it under his shirt and Thor moaned into his mouth, running a hand up Lokis torso before hooking behind his waist and pulling him up into Thors lap, where he sat for a moment, kissing him slowly and cradling the blonde mans head in his hands. They broke apart after a moment, Thors lips kissed red and slightly swollen where Loki had been nibbling at him. It looked good on him. Terribly good. Loki sighed a little and burrowed his head into Thors neck, nipping a little and grinning at Thors sharp intake of breath. 

It was going to be very hard, he decided, to be good.


	4. Egg Rolls

Loki sat like that for a few minutes, listening to the ragged breathing of Thor and grinning madly into his neck. A few times Thor had cleared his throat to speak, but when Loki made as if to move off his lap to let him, Thor wound his arm around his waist and kept him there. Finally, he shifted back and let Loki slide off to the side, but he kept Lokis hand in his and traced it gently with his thumb.

“Well.” he said. “That was certainly….affirming.”

Lokis mouth dropped open in shock. ”You mean-“ 

“Yeah.” Thor replied.

“Oh no!” Loki moaned, slapping his forehead with his free hand. “I couldve- shit, Thor, Im sorry, I coudve made that more- I dunno, romantic, something.” he flushed with embarrassment. 

“But I like the way you did it.” Thor said, eyes shining with sincerity. “I don’t- if you’d made a big deal out of it I mightve, I dunno, I like-” he gently shook their connected hands. “-this. It feels natural.” he looked away, eyes sweeping the empty restaurant. “Theres no pressure to…perform.” he shrugged, blushing in the half-light of the lanterns.

To be truthful, what Loki WANTED to do right now was rip his clothes off and show Thor just what kind of performance he could put on, (those yoga tapes werent for nothing after all) but he bit his tongue and instead snuggled quite demurely against Thors shoulder, breathing him in deeply and reprimanding himself for even considering stripping for this poor man who’d just had his first kiss from another of the same mold. 

They sat in silence for awhile until Thor mentioned that Ed would be waiting up for him, and Loki walked him to the door, kissing him lightly on the cheek as he left. Thor surprised him by returning it, and Loki felt a little flush of his own creep up. He waved goodbye and closed the door, counting to sixty before he let out a triumphant whoop and danced his way upstairs, humming softly to himself and licking his lips, savoring the taste of Thor.

~

He had been asleep for less than thirty minutes before his phone exploded. He jerked awake, suddenly aware of something very, very important that he’d forgotten.

Darcy.

He swept his phone up and answered it, blurting out an apology at the same time Darcy half-screamed in his hear.

“WELL?” he winced. “WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED YOU FUCKING- HOLDER-OUTER!” she screeched. 

“Shhh, Darcy, god, I just fell asleep, im sorry-“

“DAMN RIGHT YOURE SORRY. SPILL, BASTARD. Whatd he say? Whatd you say? Are his lips soft? Does he ass look as good unclothed as it does in those tight-ass jeans of his?!” 

“Calm down! We talked about nothing, and then stuff, and one thing sort of…” he laid out the entire night in the sort of excruciating detail that he knew Darcy loved, leaving out absolutely nothing except for his privately indecent thoughts. Which she guessed anyways, and complimented him on holding back. After nearly an hour of hashing and rehashing ever single second of the night, he finally threatens to hang up on her and she bids him a begrudging goodnight. Loki curls in in his bed, smiling so hard his cheeks begin to ache as he pulls one of his many body pillows close and tucks it under his chin, throwing his leg over the rest and dropping off just minutes later.

In the morning he heard the usual rattle of his downstairs door and inwardly praised Darcy for at least not screaming to be let in like she did sometimes, he’d tossed and turned all night, unwilling or unable to sleep as the butterflies in his stomach upgraded to a full-blown hurricane of joy. He trudged down in his Hefner pjs, rubbing his eyes as he opened the door. “C’min, Dar-” he snapped his eyes open and let out a thoroughly undignified squall as he was met with the sight of not Darcy- not Darcy AT ALL, but Thor, holding up a little white box with cherry-cheescake pastries inside.

“Thor?” he squeaked, suddenly hyperaware of his shirtlessness and partially-cocked morning boner. He shut the door just enough to wriggle his hips behind it, poking around the edge and staring at the blonde man. “Er-“

“Darcy said these were your favourite.” he said, smiling and holding out the box. “I thought id bring you some before, uhm…” he trailed off, pink blooming on his cheeks.

Loki swallowed. “Uhm, let me grab some clothes and I’ll bo down in a sec, all right?” he said.

“You dont have to.”

“What?”

“You dont have to.” If Thor was pink before, he was ruby now, shuffling his feet and alternating between looking directly into Lokis eyes and snatching glances of his naked chest- what even is he looking at, thought Loki, not like theres anything there to ogle over- yeah, okay, so the yoga had made him a little more defined but he was still reedy and paler than milk with the barest hint of a shameful farmers-tan from when he’d agreed (foolishly) to help Darcy plant some trees on Earth Day.

“I mean,” he continued, flushing still “If you dont want to. I know its early, I want sure if Id wake you- I could take my shirt off too, if you like?”

That was more than enough to convince Loki, bu he pretended to mull it over a little (possibly- okay, definitely making sure his morning wood had fully deflated) before he stepped around the door, pressing fully against Thor and kissing his nose lightly.

“You sure are good at this.” he said, smiling. Thor grinned and tentatively reached up one hand to trail it down Lokis ribs, staring at him with such intensity that Loki felt his face heat. He pulled away with a devilish smirk and walked towards one of the tables, setting the pastry box down and grabbing the bottom of his t-shirt, lifting it over his head with what Loki perceived as pornographic slowness but in all actuality was probably normal speed for someone who wasnt frantically checking his chin for drool. Thor in clothes was good, Thor in tight white v-necks was in fact great, but Thor shirtless was like something out of a greek temple, and he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest in mock indignation.

“Well Im outclassed, thats for damn sure.” he said, hugging his thin frame self-consciously. How the hell was this- this paragon of human beauty attracted to the personification of a cattail? He considered breaking out the old I’m-thin-and-cold excuse (mostly so he could steal Thors shirt to sleep in, but also to shield his poor frame from Thors glory) but before he could, Thor stepped around the stool and he was at loss for words, running his fingers lightly over Thors chest and biting his lip as he counted the freckles on his shoulders, felt the heat radiating off him. Thor chuckled.

“Its all the sports, I swear.” he said. “I dont even eat healthy.” loki shot him a dirty look before returning to his gentle exploration, which Thor allowed for several minutes before gently grasping Lokis hand and kissing the fingertips lightly. “I like that look.” he said simply.

“What look?” Loki asked.

“That look on your face when youre…..when you’re looking at me, like that. You dont look as in control as you usually do, I guess.” Thor flushed again. ‘Its nice to know you get off-balance too.”

Loki sputtered. He tried five different beginnings and settled on sputtering some more. Thor smiled sweetly, running his hand down Lokis cheek with reverence, tugging lightly at the wrist in his hand until Loki folded into him. He wrapped his arms around him and Loki shivered at the heat and strength in them, and laughed out loud because Thor thought he was in control, dear god if he only knew how badly he wanted to bend him over and fuck him right in front of god and everybody-

He had to belay that thinking, or he really was going to have to go upstairs and change. These Pjs were silk- they left a hell of a lot less to the imagination than Thors bluejeans. He slipped away from Thor and sat down at the table, snatching up a pastry and stuffing half of it in his mouth before rolling his eyes, moaning theatrically at the ceiling.

“You sure do know a way to a mans heart, Thor.” he said, swallowing. Thor smiled and grabbed one for himself and they sat in silence for a moment, a comfortable silence that wrapped around Loki like a warm quilt. He tried not to, he really did, but thors pastry was dripping cherry filling everywhere and besides, there was no way he couldnt, not with Thor being all shirtless in front of him and bringing him food- he reached across the table, swiping up a glob of cherry filling and locking eyes with Thor as he licked his finger daintily before sucking the rest of it off, winking obscenely. 

Thor swallowed hard. “Willyougooutwithme?” 

Loki drug his finger out of his mouth slowly, leaning across the table. “What was that? I didnt quite catch-“

“Will you go out with me. Be, my, uhm-” Thor was currently battling the cherries and winning, falpping his hands around nervously and looking at anywhere but Loki. 

Lokis mouth hung open a little before he realized that was definitely not sexy, and he finished Thors sentence for him. “…boyfriend?”

“Yes” Thor said in a rush, clenching his hands so hard his knuckles went white. “I mean, you don’t have to answer now and if you dont want- i totally understand-” Loki growled, hopping up out of his chair and snagging Thor around the waist, pulling him until he nearly toppled off the barstool.

“Listen hear, you.” he said, tipping his head to the side and licking the last of the cherry off his lips. “I want you, Thor, I want you in my arms and I want you in my life and I want you in my bed and I most definitely want to be…your….boyfriend,” he finished with a purr. He tugged on the back of Thors neck and Thor needed no more encouragement than that, and within seconds they were pressed hard against the counter, Loki scratching lightly down Thors back and Thor panting heavily as he kissed Loki from jaw to collarbone, gripping his hips tight and pulling him flush against him. They stayed like that for some time, and may have in fact stayed like that all night had Darcy not walked in a few minutes later and screamed at the top of her lungs, faking a dead faint before fanning herself dramatically. Thor ducked his head sheepishly at first but Loki laughed easily, pulling him close and kissing him tenderly.

Darcy looked up at the both of them standing over here and made a face of utter disgust.

“Guuuh”


	5. Sweet and Sour

Darcy was frowning at him. It was sunday again, hot and muggy and he was pouting a little because Thor had to help Ed with the yard, or the car, or some other manly thing that Loki had no interest in helping with. So he was spending the afternoon with Darcy, idly stealing the candied almonds from the top of her frozen yogurt and doing his very best to dodge her questions. But now she wasnt even trying to defend her nuts, and Loki dropped his spoon with a sigh.

“Okay, okay, I’m listening now.” he said. Darcy scowled at him and stabbed her spoon into what was left of her bowl.

“Its Thor,” she said exasperatedly. “he’s texting me again, and I have to say I am very disappointed in the way things are going.” 

Loki rolled his eyes skyward, stretching one arm out on the table to fiddle with the napkins. “Well I’m trying for that sex tape, but I’m not sure if I’ll have it by your birthday…” Darcy smacked his hand.

“Thats not what I mean!” 

He said nothing. She sighed.

“Look, I know its really none of my business, but youre my best friend and Thor is a total sweetheart therefor it totally IS my business.” she paused. ” He really likes you, Loki. And I just, I cant help but think maybe he deserves a little more than your usual-“

Loki slammed his hand on the table, scowling. “I’m already his fucking boyfriend, Darcy, and as you would know, thats quite a stretch for ‘my usual’, so if youd be kind enough to poke your head out of my business, I think I’m doing just fine here.” 

Darcys eyes welled with tears. “You’re such an ass sometimes, you know that?” she said, wiping furiously at the tears that were sliding down her cheeks. “And the worst part is, I’ve gotta sit here and watch you be an ass and the only per-person its really hurting is y-you, Loki, and you just, youre such a JERK, you know that? Cause YOU might be okay with being an ass and all this-this shit that you do but I’m sick and tired of watching you get all- skinny and lonely and SAD! You don’t even try anymore! And then you get this guy like, dumped into your lap and you treat him almost shittier than you treat yourself!”

She grabbed a napkin off the table, pressing her face in to it and crying in earnest. Loki swallowed past the lump in his throat, fighting back the urge to scream back at Darcy, to scream that it wasnt any of her business who he was hurting, that he was just fine, thank you, because Darcy crying was not something that happened often and she always had a damn good reason and now Loki was that reason, so he shoved down his pride and leaned forward to grab her and pull her tight against his chest. His voice was thick when he spoke.

“I’m sorry, Darcy.” he said. She poked her head up and glared at him.

“Dont be sorry for pissing me off, you ass.” she said, her voice muffled against his chest. ”Go be sorry for BEING an ass.” She shoved away from his chest, wiping at her face some more and glaring at him between swipes. “Go talk to Thor.”

“He’s busy.”

“So talk to him later!” she shouted. Loki flushed as the patrons in the shop turned to stare at them. He flashed a reassuring smile at an older woman with a dripping waffle-cone in her hand, but she only narrowed her eyes and wandered out the door. Gritting his teeth, he turned back to Darcy.

“Fine. But you have to tell me what I have to expect.”

She huffed. “I should just make you wing it, you know. You did make me cry.”

He frowned. “Low blow.”

“Pay for my ice cream.”

“Fine.” he snapped. “And its frozen yogurt, you uncultured heathen.” 

She smacked him with her spoon. He rose and waited in line for a few moments, paying off both their bills, and returned with one of those nasty green mini-sodas she was so fond of. 

“Okay,” she began. “Good news or bad news?”

“Bad.” he said, cracking his knuckles and staring at the wall behind her head.

“He’s having some serious regrets about asking you to be his manfriend.”

Loki sucked in a breath, nodding his head curtly. “Unexpected, still stung. Go on.”

“Good news is, he still WANTS to date you. But he thinks you dont like him or you’re just toying with him or something. And he doesnt want to date someone who doesnt have feelings for- where are you going?!” Her surprised shout follows him out of the restaurant. He can hear her shouting his name after him but he stares down at the sidewalk resolutely, slipping in and out of the crowds like a shark on the hunt, his only aim the bottomless comfort of his bed.

~~~

Blocking his path is the very last person he wants to run into when he’s feeling this way, like his emotions have all reached a boiling point and unless he goes somewhere and stays very still, theyll all come sloshing out over the sides and leave him an utter and complete mess. It doesnt help that the closer he gets to his door the more unwound he gets, and its even worse when the first thing Thor does isnt to speak, its to reach out and wrap Loki in a massive bear hug, rocking him gently as Loki curls his hands into fists at his sides. Thor bends down to whisper in his ear.

“Do you mind if we go to your room? My uncle is in the kitchen…” Loki fought down the urge to beat his fists on Thors chest and instead arranged his face into a mask of perfect calm as he nodded. After all, it wasnt the first time he’d fucked something up, and it certainly wouldnt be the last. Thor reached out and, finding Lokis hands in fists, merely curled his massive hand around one of them and held on as they went up the narrow stair.

Once inside, he pointed Thor towards the bed/couch area and went into the kitchen to start a pot of tea. Boiling the water, measuring the leaves, standing in the steam and placing cups and sugar cubes in order helped to calm him a little, and when he emerged he felt less akin to the clinking cups on the tray and more like his sturdy kettle, lid on. Thor looked silly, almost, desperately trying to maintain good posture as he sank into Lokis overstuffed couch, small decorative pillows falling on him at all angles. He settled down in the floor in front of Thor, more comfortable with the solid ground beneath him and Thor moved down to sit next to him, taking Lokis proffered cup of tea and sipping it gently. They drank their tea in the quiet of the house for a moment, neither looking at one another until Thor cleared his throat and turned his head to look i at Loki, who pointedly stared into the depths of his tea.

“I don’t want to not be with you, you know.” he said softly.

Twenty, nineteen, eighteen, seventeen…

“Loki?”

…four, three, two, one. ”Im sorry.”

Thor frowned. “Why are you sorry? You haven’t done anything wrong.”

Loki lifted his eyes from his tea and forced himself to look at Thor, not his eyes yet but somewhere on his face at least- his beard. There, he could be a mature adult and talk to Thors beard about why he was the shittiest person on earth.

“Because,” he said. “Because you’re nice, you’re all perfect and tender and, and shining- and i’m just crap, i really am- dont interrupt- you deserve someone better, Thor, someone whos got their shit together and knows what to do with someone like you.” he finished in a whisper. He wasnt looking at Thor anymore, he was back to staring at his tea, but at least he wasnt crying and begging Thor not to leave him, to give him a chance he didnt deserve because really, how could he change? 

“But I want you.” Thor murmured, reaching out to tuck a few stray hairs behind Lokis ear. 

“No you DONT!” Loki said, half-shouting as he slammed his tea down. “I know what you want but I dont have it -” Thor reached forward and grabbed the back of Lokis neck, bringing their foreheads together and growling, pushing Lokis head back so that he was forced to at last meet Thors eyes.

“How do you know what I want?” said Thor forcefully. “You never even asked. You just accepted my interest and then started giving. And I wouldn’t mind, really, I wouldn’t because fuck, Loki, you’re a great kisser and I’ll be damned if I dont want every part of you you’ll give, but you never let me…” he stopped, letting go of Loki and sitting back on his haunches, twiddling his thumbs in his lap before he spoke again. “…you never let me give you anything back.” 

“I can’t.” Loki whispered.

“But why?” said Thor, and the shimmer building in his eyes was enough to push Loki right over the edge. He shoved the heels of his palms into his eyesockets, body wracked with sobs he could no longer restrain. He cried like that for a few minutes, hardly noticing when Thor got up to sit on his other side and rub his back. 

“I dont…” he began. “I dont know what you want from me.”

Thor frowned.

“I dont mean that way. Well, sort of, but not right now- I just, why do you care? Why do you even want to try? I’m not worth it Thor, I’m really not. I’m the test-boy, you come fuck me and then you know if you’re gay or not, you let me give you head or ride your cock and you toss me around, see what you like and thats all I’m good for, Thor, I’m just an unpleasant stepping-stone on the way to something else. Okay? So why are you staying?” he was half-hysterical again, voice cracking as he flapped his hands in wild gestures. “Just go, okay?”

Thor stopped rubbing his back. “You’re afraid.” he said, and then he smiled, of all things. 

Loki wanted to slap him, so he did. 

“I am not afraid, you idiot, Im MAD. I want you to go away, okay? GO AWAY!”

Thor was still smiling, though he rubbed his jaw and it had obviously hurt- there were little red marks from Lokis fingers across his cheek.

“You’re terrified, Loki.” he said. “You’re just as scared as I am- maybe more, because maybe you got hurt in the past and then you gave up, you gave up and thought, ‘Ill hide it, Ill hide it’, but you CANT, Loki, you can hide it from everyone else but I couldnt hide from you and you cant hide from me, I know what its like because I’ve been there, okay?” he reached out and grabbed the hand that Loki had slapped him with. “Stay with me, Loki. Please.”

Loki couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak for fear of breaking whatever it was that Thor was giving to him. He wanted to run, but where could he go? Thor was already in his house and in his head, apparently.

“I don’t….” Loki trailed off. 

“Let me in.” said Thor. “Please, Loki, that all I want. I just want you to let me give you something back, okay? I don’t need you throwing yourself all over me all the time- dont look at me like that! I enjoy it, god fuck I enjoy it, but I want just you, too.” 

Loki gnawed at his bottom lip. To say yes was to risk everything, but really, what was all that everything he was going to lose? Darcy was right- he was lonely, he was sad, he went out and he worked and he fucked every now and again but he was empty, dear god, so empty. He felt hollow and trapped, a tumbleweed in barbed wire. And then there was Thor, who Loki had pawed and panted over as he did with any other man, giving him less thought than what clothing he was going to wear to bed that night. Because really, who could want him? Standing, he cleared the cups away and went to the sink, Thor padding softly behind him and even grabbing up a towel to dry them out when he was done. They stood together in the cramped kitchen and Thor looked down at him and Loki reached out and lightly traced the outline of Thors pectorals in his ragged t-shirt. Thor smiled.

“So thats a yes, then?” he said. “You’ll let me be yours?”

Lokis lips lifted slightly. “Does that mean I’m yours, as well?”

Thor shrugged. “Only if you want to be. I just want you to want me to be with you.” his face scrunched. “Sorry, thats badly worded, but its the best ive got right now.”

Loki snorted. “So what would you like now, darling? Lunch, movie, bend me over the table and fuck me…?” he reached out and tugged Thor into a hug, burrowing his face into his shoulder. “Kidding about the last part, by the way.” he added.

“Actually,” Thor said, bending his neck forward to whisper in Lokis ear- “I’ve never really seen myself as much of an on-top kinda guy.” He pulled away and Loki laughed aloud at the flush on his cheeks, standing on tip-toe to kiss the tip of Thors nose before pulling away and tugging on Thors hand, leading him to the living room.

They sat together for some time that afternoon, Thor with his head in Lokis lap and Loki with his hands in Thors hair, brushing it back from his face as a movie played in the background, unwatched by either man who only had eyes for one another. Every now and then Thor would butt his head backwards and Loki would lean forward to give him another peck on the cheek- ‘So needy, you are’- he’d murmur, but Thor only smiled and nodded his head in agreement.


	6. Orange Chicken

They stayed that way for awhile, watching pre-recorded nature programs on the television. Loki’s mind was still turning, examining every facet of the conversation they’d had hours past, and Thor was fast asleep, snoring softly into the spine of a book wedged firmly in the cushions of the couch. He smiled and stroked Thor’s shoulder lightly, pushing the edge of his shirtsleeve up until he could see the little sun-freckles that spotted the skin of his biceps; idly he played connect-the-dots, not aiming for anything in particular other than feeling the warmth and strength of Thor as he slept. Ed had closed the store for the day, he always did when the fumigators came. Summer or no, bugs or no, he had the restaurant fogged for bugs at least once a month. Loki had already gone downstairs and shoved some towels under the door to keep the poison out, and he was settled into the slightly musty armchair in the corner, about to doze off when Thor finally stirred.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty.” he said.

“Mmm.” Thor rumbled, stretching slowly (obscenely, Loki thought- no one should have a figure like that outside of a heavily photoshopped Abercrombie ad) and getting to his feet, crossed the room in a few long strides before settling into Loki’s lap. He leaned back, ignoring Loki’s squeals of protest as he pressed his back against Loki’s chest, reclining until his head leaned back far enough that he could rest it on his shoulder. Craning his neck around, he kissed Loki softly on the cheek, and Loki smiled in the dimming light, shoving feebly at Thor’s back with his hopelessly trapped arms.

"While I wouldn't really mind death by beautiful man, I'd rather have something to eat beforehand, darling, so if you don't mind..." Loki teased. Thor stood up carefully, mindful of Loki’s long legs as he maneuvered himself out of the chair. Once upright, he held his hand out and when Loki accepted it, he pulled him into another tight-armed hug and buried his face in Loki’s hair and whispered a muffled ‘Thank you’. 

It made Loki’s throat stick and his eyes felt like they did the day his mother had walked out on them, not at all like the usual waterworks he put on when things came too close to his heart No, this was another animal entirely, making him curl his fingers lightly around Thor’s ribs. It made him want to lie Thor out on his bed and trace all the bones and muscles that framed him, made him want to map his skin with teeth and tongue until Thor was so marked that no-one could look at him and see that he was anything but Loki’s.  
And the problem this time wasn’t that Thor was unwilling, that Thor had had his fun with Loki and was ready to move on. It was Loki this time, and though it had happened before, him screwing things up had never really seemed to matter until this point in time, in this dim dust-speckled light with the smell of his books filling the air and Thor’s warm body pressed against him. He didn’t seem anxious to move at all, and Loki was the one who first stepped back to smile. 

Cautiously, he reached out to trace the strong line of Thor’s jaw, cupping his hand around his chin for a moment before trailing his hand down his neck and plucking idly at the collar of his shirt. He tipped his head back and sighed hugely.

“Thor.” He groaned.

“Mmm-hmm?” 

“Thor, I’m out of Darcy-food.” he said. Thor’s brows came together in a sharp line.

“Darcy-food?” he asked.

“I can’t cook.” said Loki, arching his brows. “You didn’t know that by now?” 

“I always thought you were just really lazy,” Thor laughed. “You really can’t cook? At all?”

Loki shook his head shamefully. “I really can’t. Darcy tried, god love her she tried, but...” 

He trailed off. Maybe it was because it was just that time of year, maybe it was the warm influence of Thor thawing the ice cage around his more tender emotions that set these memories off, but here they were again, memories of his mother and how she had loved to be in the kitchen, how Loki had loved to stand by her side as she chopped radishes for salad. He remembered with painful clarity the days she’d spent teaching him how to cut potatoes so they didn’t roll off the counter and into the floor, how to dice and slice and cube things into simple but beautiful dishes. Worse was the memory that surfaced now of the days after she had left them all behind, and Loki had stood over her old wooden cutting board with a knife in his hand, staring at a ripe red tomato through a haze of tears.

“Now don’t forget, Loki.” she’d said. “Softer fruits are easy to cut into, but they make a terrible mess with the juice! If you want to have an easy time of it, you have to keep your vegetables cold….” 

He had stabbed the fruit so hard the knife stuck in the cutting board. He’d taken her advice, chilled his heart and anything else that might cause a mess inside him, but after that day he had never cooked again.

“Loki?” Thor asked, brow furrowed. “Are you all right?” 

“Will you teach me how to cook?” Loki blurted, and Thor perked up instantly, planting a tender kiss on Lokis forehead before leading him into the tiny kitchen. He puttered around for a minute, arranging dishes and clearing counter space. When he was done, he reached for the door of the refrigerator; glancing inside, he scoffed loudly and turned to arch his eyebrow at Loki, who was standing self-consciously in the doorway. He shrugged at Thor’s inquisitive face.

“Well then.” Thor said. “First step is, have food.”

Loki laughed, hugging his arms closer to his chest and smiling a little as Thor closed the fridge door gently. “Where do we get that stuff?” he asked.  
~~  
The only thing remarkable about the trip to the grocery store was the pink-haired pigeon girls, sitting on the bench outside Ed’s like they did every Sunday. The taller one had a mohawk now, and she had apparently been training the flying rats how to do tricks because, upon he and Thors emergence from the restaurant, both girls had begun elbowing each other furiously. 

Loki would have moved on, but Thor held him there by the hand and looked on, curious. The shorter girl leapt off the bench and plucked a small dandelion from beside the bench, handing it off to her friend and giggling madly. The taller girl had lured a fat white bird into her lap with some crust, handed to bird the flower and pointed directly at Thor, a huge smile on her face.

Loki’s mouth dropped open in amazement as the bird flew off the girls lap and dropped the flower right on top of the two of them. The two girls whooped and high-fived, and Loki reached down to pick the flower up off the street. He tucked it behind Thors ear and laughed, a full-throated sound that shook his thin frame from toe to tip. They waved at the giggling girls, pulling close together before walking away. Thor even turned his head back around to blow a kiss over his shoulder at them.  
When they returned from the store, Thor packed all of Lokis groceries away while Loki made tea. Thor set up some sort of marinade, chattering away about spices and measurements and all manner of things that Loki paid no attention to, focused only on making sure his tea blooms unfolded perfectly in the cup.

But when it came time to cube the chicken, Thor turned around and snagged Lokis arm, pulling him close before turning him so that his back faced Thor. They stood over a cutting board (from downstairs, thank god, he had almost taken the cutting board with him from his parents house but in the end had flung it out of his car window in a fit of rage on the highway one afternoon. He did wonder about it sometimes.) and Thor maneuvered Lokis arms so that Thors hands covered his and pressed together like that, they cubed the chicken and set it to marinate, sipping Lokis tea in the kitchen and idly ragging on customers that had given them grief the weeks before.

It was more than pleasant, Loki thought, even with the disgusting feeling of raw chicken rubbing against him. He felt a buzzing under his skin when Thor was near, like something in Thor activated a part of Loki that had long lain dormant in the shade of his sadness. Solitude with Thor was somehow more fulfilling than sitting around truly alone- it struck Loki then that unlike the scant Sundays he has spent with Darcy, he didn’t feel cheated out of his personal time.

When it came time for the frying Thor took charge alone, instructing Loki to the bags of microwavable white rice he had set out. Loki could at least microwave, so that went well, and Thor hummed a tune that sounded familiar, but Loki couldn’t quite place it so he had to ask and Thor had grinned, cheeks pinking as he responded.

“The flower duet, Lakme.” he said sheepishly. “Your tea had little flower blooms in the bottom, it reminded me of it.”

Thor carefully tipped the vibrant orange chicken onto the fluffy beds of rice Loki had placed next to him, and Loki waited until he put the pan down to kiss him full on the mouth, softer than his previous touches and lingering until the heat between them was almost unbearable before pulling away. Thor pupils were blown wide, and he reached forward to curl an arm around Lokis waist. Loki spun away, plates in hand, and stuck his tongue out.

“Dinnertime.” he teased, winking at Thor before sashaying into the living room. 

They ate side-by-side, Thor nabbing bits of Lokis chicken when he looked away and Loki openly stealing all of Thors asparagus and a fair amount of his snow peas, as well. It was just nice, and it reminded Loki of a hundred moments in a thousand books where one person turned to the other to tell them they loved being able to be with them, just to exist in the same room as comfortably as if they were alone but the last thing Loki wanted was to cheese up the moment because for all Thors good qualities, he was also a massive cheese-ball and Loki wasn’t about to encourage him. Besides, the pigeon-girls had made the day already almost insufferably corny, so Loki settled on the nice middle-ground of slinetly taking his and Thor’s plates into the kitchen to clean.

When he came back into the room, Thor was shirtless and lounging in the floor at the foot of the couch, smiling lazily up at Loki and lolling his head pack on the cushions so that the tendons in his neck stood out sharply. The shadows cast from the rise of his collarbones extended past his navel and provided a trail for Lokis eyes that was deeply unneeded, he had been going there anyways and dear god, who gave him the right to wear shorts that hung so low? It was obscene, and Loki licked his lips at the sight of him stretched out there.

Be good, he admonished. He curled up beside Thor and traced the lines of his ribs, his pectorals, circling each nipple until they stood at attention. He spared a glance to Thors face, which held a look of such intensity that Loki shivered. Slowly, he pulled one leg up and over Thors lap, mounting him gracefully and burying his face in the crook of Thors neck. He could hear the other mans breath hitch as he trailed his fingers up and down his side, teasing the waistband of his shorts before spiraling away to curl behind his neck and anchor Loki to the floor. So much for being good, then.

With one hand on Thor’s waist and the other wrapped firmly around the back of his neck, Loki leaned back and ground his hips forward a little, gently nudging against the swell of Thor’s crotch in inquiry until Thor’s eyes fluttered shut and he nodded his head, grabbing onto Loki’s hips and pulling him down harder, pressing them together and licking his lips as he eyed Loki hungrily.

Loki tilted his head back and let out a breathy moan, riding Thor softly at first and then harder, grinding into him until Thor was nearly gasping, bucking his hips upward and holding Lokis hips so tightly he could feel bruises forming. Panting, he dropped his mouth down to lay a trail of kisses of Thors neck.

“Please,” he whispered. “Let me touch you tonight.” Thor stilled beneath him and for a moment Loki felt his stomach drop, a freezing jolt of fear begin to claw in his belly, but then he felt Thor rise beneath him, pulling him to his feet and stripping Lokis shirt off in on smooth motion. He guided him back towards the wall, and Loki surged forward to crush his mouth against his, pulling his bottom lip out with his teeth before tracing it lightly with his tongue, pulling tight at the hair bundled at the nape of Thors neck. At any moment he expected to feel it, Thors large hands gripping the back of his head and guiding him down, and it came as quite a shock when he felt, more than heard, the thud as Thors knees hit the ground.

“Are you sure?” Loki asks. Thor nods his head fervently but doesn’t speak until hes stripped Loki down to his underwear. As he’d pulling those down, his eyes flick up to Loki and he grins awkwardly.

“I’m not going to lie, Loki, I have no idea what I’m doing down here.” he says, and he sounds so precious and willing, hands exploring where mouth will shortly be that Loki laughs a little, despite himself.

“Do you know what you like?” Loki asked. Thor nodded. “Stick to that then, try not to gag yourself.” Thor nods again, a look of sheer determination taking his face over as he curls his fist around the base of Loki’s cock. He’s leaking a little already, and as Thor wraps his lips tentatively around the head Loki has to snap his hands into fists to keep from jerking Thors head forward and fucking his mouth in earnest.

It goes on like that for a while, Thor sliding slowly up and down the shaft, swirling his tongue every now and again and its enough to make Loki groan with desire, and he can’t help but stutter his hips forward in search of more. Thor slides off and runs a hand through his hair, his lips red from the effort and he huffs for a moment before he shoots Loki an inscrutable look from under his eyelashes.

“Loki.” He rumbles. “I need some help here.” Slowly, he reaches behind himself and pulls the tie out from his bun, wrapping it around his wrist tightly before reaching for Loki hands. He places it at the back of his neck and positions himself again.

“Are you sure?” Loki can’t help but ask, after all he doesn’t want to hurt him- not in any way he wont like, at least. Thor bobs his head a little and Loki arches his hips forward, gently thrusting into Thors throat as he curls his fingers into his hair, pulling tight. His rhythm is smooth and controlled until Thor sneaks a look upwards and moans, and the vibrations in his throat are enough to send Loki off the edge and he fucks his mouth, tugging at Thors hair and panting loudly as he feels his orgasm spiral through him; he has just enough restraint to pant out Thors name, a final question and Thor responds by humming again, dragging his blunt nails down Loki’s thighs and Loki howls, thrusting a few more times before stuttering to a stop, both hands fisted in Thors hair as he leans forward slightly, legs shaking with aftershocks. He pulls Thor to his feet and, laughing a little at the face he’s making, pulls him closer to rest his sweat-covered brow against the smooth expanse of Thors shoulder. 

“That was wonderful.” he sighs, stroking Thors hair and back and trailing kisses over every inch of skin he can reach. Thor makes a noise of agreement, a deep rumble in his chest and Loki grins a little into his neck, shoving one hand down the front of Thors pants and gripping him tightly in hand.

“Wonderful, darling.” he purrs. “Won’t you let me return the favor?”


	7. Egg Drop Soup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picking up right where we left off! I know, i know. I havent updated it in two years. Lets just say life got crazy and my spare time to write flew right out the window!

Thor had not, unfortunately, let Loki return the favor. For a moment he felt the sharp sting of wounded pride- but it evaporated when Thor leaned back against his heels, licking his lips. "Thanks for the warning" he rumbled, and Loki had just enough left in him to laugh weakly.

"Well its the least I could do, it being your first time and all." He had slid down after that, covering himself with a throw pillow. Thor was staring at him so hard he felt like he was boring a hole into his skull. "What?"  
Thor said nothing. In fact, he was starting to look a little green. Loki leaned forward in alarm. "Thor..?"

Thors eyes were as big as saucers. "Bean sprouts" he whispered. 

Well, that was that then. He'd lost his mind. "Bean sprouts?" Thor nodded. "Bean sprouts. It tastes like bean sprouts."  
Loki wasn't sure if you could actually die from laughing, but he felt like he might be about to find out. "Bean....sprouts..?" he wheezed. Thor was crimson. "It does though!" he said defensively. Loki shifted a bit so he could lie flat on his back, tears oozing from the corners of his eyes. A little later, Thor left. He'd been gone from Eds a lot lately, and didn't want to seem rude. 

He hated to admit it, but even his cramped apartment felt a little too big without Thor there.

~~~  
The next morning, Loki woke up late. Thor had left the night before, not wanting to keep Ed up any longer, and Loki swore that he hadn't even finished closing the door before Darcy blew up his phone. God, it was like she was psychic. Or hovering outside the restaurant, which he honestly wouldn't put past her.

From:Darcy  
WELL???  
From:Darcy  
WELL????????  
From:Darcy  
I saw both of you go up, and only one of you come out! So either you're a terrible, horrible dickhead whose not texting me, or he killed you and you're rotting upstairs!

From:Loki  
don't be morbid  
From:Loki  
I couldn't have texted you any faster unless i texted you DURING the blowjob ;)

From:Darcy  
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!  
From:Darcy  
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

From:Loki  
yep

From:Darcy  
WHO TO WHO? NEvermind, don't text, i need to see it. I need to see your face. be right over

From:Loki  
Who do you think?

From:Darcy  
DON'T TELL ME!!!

He stretched out. Darcy would come, and he would outline every detail for her (just as she had always done for him) but he didn't know how good it would be if she know how he'd felt when Thor hadn't let him reciprocate. He didn't even fully know how he felt about it himself. Hurt, he guessed. He wasn't too sure. Sure, there had been guys before, who hadn't wanted him to touch them, he always just chalked it up to some weird, latent homophobia- if they fucked him, well it wasn't all that bad, so long as he wasn't fucking them back. But he knew Thor wasn't like that. He was reserved, yeah, but he definitely wanted Loki- why wouldn't he just let him in, then?   
He had a sneaking suspicion he was about to find out.

Darcy walked right in- he'd left the door open for her. She settled down and stared at him for a second. "Well?' she said. "Spill the beans!" a wicked smile drifted across her face. "Or should i say...the beansprouts?"  
He buried his head in his hands. "You're a goddamn nightmare, you know? I swear. i think you know things before i do." He narrowed his eyes. 'Wait. How did you know? You asked me who-to who on your way over!"  
She sighed dramatically. "I couldn't bear it. I was texting Thor at the same time, and he was just soooo ready to tell me." she cocked her head. "But hes no good for any of the real gritty stuff. c'mon, tell me. How much am i missing out on?" He sighed and settled back, sharing all the gory details. She laughed through half of it, then eyed him enviously. "You fucking meatball" she said. "How did you get so lucky?" 

He shrugged. "There was one thing though. He didn't, you know, let me-" she waved a hand imperiously. 

"Oh, I put him up to that. I knew that once he got you off, you'd be all up and raring to torture the poor boy- don't give me that face!- so i told him to let you have it, but keep his goodie bits all locked away." she grinned. "Its good to get a present, Loki. You don't have to earn everything, you know."

He grumbled.

"Aw, come on," she said. "You horny little boys will be banging by the end of the month no matter what anyone says, its good to take a little time for other things first." 

He sighed.

"Yeah, you're right." They sat and chatted for awhile longer, but she was mostly texting Thor- and wouldn't let him peek, not even a little- so he didn't pay much attention to her, rather, he sat back and tried to gather his thoughts. Darcy wasn't wrong, once the ball got rolling with him it usually wasn't over until both parties were so sore they could barely move. He'd never had much patience for anyone, after all, people only had sex for one reason anyway- pleasure- so why drag it out? He groaned. Thor wasn't like that. And he deserved better, but was apparently utterly committed to having him. Which meant he'd have to be better, for Thor. 

He was surprised to find that the thought didn't bother him at all.

~~~  
Loki was wrist-deep in eggs when Thor walked up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist. God, how was he so warm?

Thor sniffed the air. "Is that the soup?" he said, pointing. Loki glared at the stock pot. "Yes."

He hated that pot. He hated eggs, and chicken stock, and chopsticks, and pretty much everything about making this stupid soup. At least the miso came in a packet, even though it wasnt really chinese. Thor raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?

Loki smiled softly. "Not with you." he threw a dirty glance back at the pot. "I just hate making this fucking soup, is all." Thor laughed, a low rumbling sound that gave Loki goosebumps. 

"Probably because it takes patience" he teased. Loki smacked him with a spoon. When Darcy came in (grinning like the cat that got the cream- sometimes he thought gossip physically sustained her) they all busied themselves. Friday morning was pretty much the most boring shift ever, but they had to prep a lot for the nighttime. That, and it was always good to have extra on friday morning just in case the lacrosse team came in again. Or, more accurately, in case Tony and Steve came in again. The off-season meant nothing to them- Loki wasn't even sure they knew it was off season, or if they just kept at it all year round. They weren't bad guys, and Loki was truly glad that hed never dated either of them. Being gay was irritating enough without that nice added sprinkle of knowing every other gay guy in a hundred mile radius, mostly because youd slept with half of them. In any case, they came in fairly regularly on fridays, and Steve ate like...like... he didnt even know what. Like he was secretly a robot, built to consume more fried rice and cheese wontons than should be physically possible. Lost in his own thoughts, he didnt even notice what a disaster he was making of the eggs. 

"Loki," Darcy said, exasperated. "Those are supposed to be smooth, silky egg ribbons. This looks like pigeon shit." 

"Tastes like it, too." he quipped. "Oh please," she said. "I never left you without food so long that you had to eat pigeon poo."  
~~~  
The day went on. Morning was slow as usual (no Tony or Steve though, so they ended up snacking on some of the wontons). The night was brutal. Darcy complained about boob-sweat half the night, Loki got duck sauce all over his apron ( he had //just// washed it) and Thor, who was usually pretty calm, was muttering curses under his breath towards the end. In the early afternoon, Loki had been hoping they might have an okay night of it and he might be able to convince (read: lure) Thor upstairs for some more 'bad behavior,' as it were, but at the end of the night they were all so tired and sweaty and irritable that he didnt even think to ask. It was nice, though, at the end of the night when they all stepped out for some fresh air, Thor wrapped an arm loosely around his waist. It was pleasant for about three seconds, until the night air hit and all the sweat started to cool, so they exchanged a few quick kisses and went their separate ways. Loki took a long shower and hit the lights.

He slept so deeply that he missed the familiar jangling of his phone from the beside table.

One.  
Two.  
Three.  
Four.  
Five.  
Six.

 

The light blinked all night long.


End file.
